Raleigh-Cary Metro Employment Outlook is Strong

The Raleigh-Cary metro has a healthy job market heading into the third quarter with an employment outlook outpacing expectations for the state and the entire nation. Our growing metro area posted a net employment outlook of 23 percent compared to 21 percent for North Carolina and 15 percent for the U.S.

According to a recent report published by ManpowerGroup, 28 percent of the Triangle employers surveyed indicated they anticipate hiring more employees from now through September. Additionally, 60 percent of employers reported that they expect to maintain current staff levels and only 5 percent indicated they plan to reduce payrolls.

These national survey findings support the Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s recent State of Downtown Raleigh 2016 report touting the fast growing city center’s activity. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance shared that there is “more than 1.1 million square feet of office space under construction or planned for downtown” and that downtown Raleigh has “46 employees per acre” making it the “densest office market in the region.”

The Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s report also shed light on the broader Raleigh-Cary metro highlighting the area’s largest employment segments and percentage of employees in each as compared to the U.S. workforce as a whole. According to the report, which reviewed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, our metro has: